Evermore (Beauty and the Beast song)
"Evermore" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice for the musical fantasy film Beauty and the Beast (2017), a live-action remake of Disney and Warner Bros.' 1991 animated musical film of the same name. Originally recorded for the film by English actor Dan Stevens, who performs the song in his starring role as the titular Beast, "Evermore" was first released as a single by American singer Josh Groban on March 3, 2017. Stevens' version was eventually made available to the public on March 10, 2017 when the film's soundtrack was released online; Groban's single is played over the film's closing credits. In the original animated film, the Beast barely sings because Menken and original Beauty and the Beast lyricist Howard Ashman had not been able to find a suitable moment within the animated film during which the character could perform his own song. Initially, Menken especially wanted the Beast to perform "If I Can't Love Her", a song he and Rice had written for the stage version of the character, in the live-action film, but ultimately decided that a new song proving that the Beast has finally learned how to love would be more suitable for the medium. Musically, "Evermore" bears a resemblance to songs from the musicals Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera, as well as some of Menken's own compositions, namely songs from Disney's animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). "Evermore" is a somber Broadway musical-influenced power ballad; its lyrics explore themes such as true love, heartbreak and sacrifice. In Beauty and the Beast, "Evermore" is performed by the Beast shortly after he releases Belle from the castle so that she may return to her village and aid her father. The Beast realizes that he loves Belle and, despite knowing that releasing her will further jeopardize chances of his enchantment being broken, ultimately sacrifices his own wishes for Belle's freedom. Amidst heavy comparisons to "If I Can't Love Her", critical reception towards "Evermore" has been mostly positive, with both film and music critics dubbing it the best of the film's three original songs. Critics also recognized Stevens among the cast's strongest vocalists, while agreeing that "Evermore" is a strong contender for an Academy Award for Best Original Song nomination. Writing and recording Director Bill Condon originally intended to include most songs from the Broadway musical adaptation of Beauty and the Beast in the remake. However, Disney ultimately decided to recruit composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice to write entirely new songs for the film instead. Original Beauty and the Beast composer Menken reunited with Rice, with whom he had previously collaborated on Disney's animated musical Aladdin (1992), to write three new songs for the remake. Rice once again replaced original Beauty and the Beast lyricist Howard Ashman, who had passed away shortly before the film's 1991 release due to AIDS-related complications, similar to the way in which he replaced the lyricist to aid Menken in writing new material for the 1994 stage adaptation. Menken believes that the songs he and Rice had written for the Broadway musical would not have translated well to the screen due to structural differences between the two formats. Traditionally, heroines are usually assigned "rousing" musical numbers to perform in Disney films. In the original animated film, the Beast does little singing apart from a brief solo during the ensemble piece "Something There". Menken and Ashman had been unable to decide upon a suitable moment in the film during which the Beast could perform his own song. However, Menken considered it to be imperative that the character sing a solo in both the Broadway and live-action adaptations of the film because he believes the Beast is actually the story's protagonist "whose life has changed in the most dramatic way." In the stage production, the Beast performs the ballad "If I Can't Love Her" after he frightens Belle away from the castle, questioning whether or not he will ever be able to love anyone since he struggles to love her. Menken and Condon had deliberated whether or not they should use this song in the remake; despite Menken's strong appreciation for "If I Can't Love Her", the musical number was ultimately omitted because it had specifically been written to conclude the first act of a Broadway musical and did not expect the film's audience to be "going out to go to the bathroom and get drinks." Due to the remake's three-act structure, Menken and Condon concluded that it would be best to replace "If I Can't Love Her" with a song that better explores the Beast's love for Belle as he realizes that she is longer his prisoner and has finally learned to love, while accepting that releasing her further jeopardizes his chances of becoming human again. Condon also believed that it would be more dramatic should the character perform a song at this particular moment. Rice, who co-wrote "If I Can't Love Her" with Menken, further convinced the composer to substitute "If I Can't Love Her" with a more appropriate song, joking, "it would be like writing 'Don't Cry for Me Brazil'," referring to "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", a song he famously wrote for the musical Evita. Originally entitled "For Evermore", "Evermore" was written by composer Menken and lyricist Rice. The last of the three original songs written for the remake, "Evermore" was completed considerably late into production after the filmmakers finally agreed that the Beast should perform his own. Written in Spring 2015 in London, England, Menken quickly composed its melody before Rice contributed lyrics revolving around the Beast releasing Belle. Actor Dan Stevens, who portrays the Beast and performs "Evermore", had little singing experience prior to being cast in the film. Before "Evermore" was written, Condon informed Stevens that he would be singing a new song in his role as Beast. Having not sung professionally since childhood, Stevens was required to retrain his singing voice, the process of which he found challenging. To prepare for the recording, Stevens received extensive vocal coaching from vocal coach Ann-Marie Speed in addition to working closely with Menken. Stevens first recorded a "guide track" for "Evermore" before he and Menken revisited the track to modify specific lines and notes. To make the actor sound more "beast-like", sound engineers digitally modified Stevens' voice, which Menken produced himself. Auto-Tune was used to make Stevens' voice sound lower and heavier. Menken continued making minor changes to the song well into production. On recording a new song, Stevens said, "the pressure’s sort of off — but it’s also on — because it doesn’t have to sound like it did before, but it should sound good enough to sit alongside the music that’s already pretty great." Stevens agreed that the song is "a big, romantic, soaring number" about the Beast lamenting "I’ve fallen in love with her, and now she’s buggered off, woe is me", while "If I Can't Love Her" is "How am I going to fall in love with her?" Replacing "If I Can't Love Her" with "Evermore" helped make the songwriters eligible for an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Context and use in Beauty and the Beast One of at least nine significant ways in which the remake deviates from its source material, "Evermore" is among the film's songs that emphasize the sadness and loneliness of both the Beast and Belle's situations, fulfilling a role which was previously occupied by "If I Can't Love Her" in the stage musical. In Beauty and the Beast, "Evermore" is performed by the Beast shortly before "The Mob Song" as the film approaches its dramatic climax. After the Beast and Belle (Emma Watson) share a dance in the ballroom to Mrs. Potts' (Emma Thompson) performance of "Beauty and the Beast", the couple has a conversation during which the Beast learns just how much Belle misses her father, Maurice (Kevin Kline). Identified by Fred Hawson of ABS-CBN News as "a grand moving solo" during which the Beast sincerely expresses his feelings for Belle. Finally admitting that the heroine is no longer his prisoner, the character sings "Evermore" shortly after he releases Belle from the castle, insisting that she return to the village and protect Maurice from Gaston (Luke Evans). Believing that Belle has been lost to him forever, he Beast is heartbroken by the character's departure and laments his misfortune by performing "Evermore", accepting that releasing his former prisoner means it is possible that the enchantress' spell might ever be broken. Tracy Goldman of [[The Cornell Daily Sun|''The'' Cornell Daily Sun]] observed that the song "adds more depth to the character" by "highlighting the changes heBeast goes through throughout the movie." "Evermore" occurs at a pivotal moment in the film during which the Beast bemoans his decision to free Belle, while revealing both his inner pain and growth as a character. In the musical sequence, the Beast continues to climb higher up the turret of his castle to watch Belle as she rides away on her horse and gradually disappears into the distance, "ramping up everything for the end of the movie, when it's just action, action, action." The orchestra increases and swells as the anguished Beast continues to climb. Menken explained that the character watches Belle leave while thinking to himself "I know what love is now, and it’s wonderful, even though I’ll never see her again." Citing the song as an example of the film's characters resorting to singing whenever they find that they are not able to speak, Condon described "Evermore" as one of the film's "dramatic high points", proving that the Beast has finally become "worthy of love". For the Beast, the song represents "an ode to his love for Belle and his unending, longing devotion as she rides away from him, possibly forever", serving as "a profound meditation on his own isolation and heartache". According to Menken, the character is "basically singing about how he now knows what love is". The Beast is now shown to be capable of feeling and expressing human emotions, namely heartbreak, loneliness and helplessness, having learned about true love and sacrifice. Walt Disney Studios president of music and soundtracks Mitchell Leib described the scene as the film's "Phantom of the Opera moment.” Screen Rant contributor Kacey Spivey observed that Belle's departure and the scene represents a reversal of the traditional fairy tale trope in which a princess is trapped in a tower. Instead the Beast is confined to his tower, longing for the heroine to return and free him from his enchantment. Brett Nachman compared the scene to Quasimodo performing "Out There" in Disney's animated musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). Composition Distinguished for being "the most powerful" of the remake's three original songs, "Evermore" has been described as "big" and "romantic" by music critics. A "soaring ballad" accompanied by "grand orchestration", WTOP's Jason Fraley described "Evermore" as a "haunting song of longing"; a "mournful love song" that gradually crescendos into a powerful lament. An emotionally delivered power ballad, the Belfast Telegraph identified the "sparkling" ballad as "a soaring lament of longing". Despite being miserable in tone, the somber sound of which Chris Knight of the National Post likened to songs from the musical Les Misérables, the ballad is at the same time more upbeat than its Broadway counterpart, "If I Can't Love Her". However, the track remains one of the more melancholy inclusions on the soundtrack that consists of mostly upbeat songs and musical numbers, accompanied by heavy orchestration that swells and increases as the ballad progresses. Writing for Elle, Alyssa Bailey dubbed the song a "Broadway version of a breakup ballad", which features the lyrics "I let her steal into my melancholy heart/It’s more than I can bear," as "swooned" by Stevens. Jay Jason of Comicbook.com believes that the song's lyrics are based on the popular saying "If you love someone, let them go." Stevens performs the line "I never needed anybody in my life" using "quavering" emotion. Featuring lyrics that revolve around heartache and heartbreak, "Evermore"'s chorus reads: "Now I know she'll never leave me/Even as she runs away/She will still torment me/Call me, hurt me/Move me, come what may/Wasting in my lonely tower/Waiting by an open door/I'll fool myself, she'll walk right in/And be with me for evermore", which Stevens performs vulnerably. Amanda Greever of The Daily Times insists that the song should move all listeners to tears. The track also discusses themes of true love, sacrifice and understanding love. Stevens sings within the vocal range of a "deep, resonating baritone" throughout the song, which lasts a total duration of three minutes and fourteen seconds; Channel NewsAsia contributor Genevieve Sarah Loh described Stevens' vocals as "melted-chocolate". The actor's voice has been compared to that of actor Terrence Man, who originated the role of the Beast on Broadway and recorded "If I Can't Love Her". Some traces of Auto-Tune can be heard throughout Stevens' vocal performance. The track bares similarities to songs from Disney's animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), which Menken also composed, as well as the work of musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Release and reception When Disney and Warner Bros. released the film's first official trailer in November 2016, Billboard's Taylor Weatherby ranked "Evermore" fifth on the magazine's ranking of "6 Songs We're Most Excited to Hear" from the remake. Stevens' version of "Evermore" was released on March 10, 2017 along with the rest of the ''Beauty and the Beast'' soundtrack. Menken's demo version of the song is included on deluxe versions of the album. "Evermore" has since garnered mostly positive reviews from both film and music critics. Writing for Stuff.co.nz, James Croot appreciated "Evermore" for both "enhancing the story" and providing the Beast with an opportunity to sing. Similarly, Katlin Risen, writing for The State Journal-Register, called the song "a lovely addition to the story" that "really brought an arc to the character." Ranking it among "the new movie's highlights", the Christian Broadcasting Network reviewed "Evermore" as "a wonderful, heartbreaking ballad". In addition to Thompson's rendition of "Beauty and the Beast", the Daily Bruin's Matthew Fernandez highlighted the track as "the only other song that matches''' 'the grandeur of the classic Disney works". Writing for the Associated Press, Lindsey Bahr reviewed "Evermore" as "a more fitting ballad for the Beast" than "If I Can't Love Her". Jason Fraley of WTOP crowned "Evermore" the "Best of" ''Beauty and the Beast's original songs. The critic also wrote that the Stevens' performance "will give you chills". The Salt Lake Tribune film critic Sean P. Means agreed that the track "gives Stevens a nice moment to pour out the tragic hero's broken heart." According to The Toronto Star's Peter Howell, "Evermore" establishes Stevens among "the cast's best singers", while La Presse's Sonia Sarfati called the actor's interpretation "moving". Varisity contributor Robert Crawford appreciated Stevens for "adding a welcome, spine-tingling melancholy moment to an otherwise joyous score." Fred Hawson of ABS-CBN News recognized "Evermore" as a strong contender for an Academy Award for Best Original Song nomination, dubbing it the "best of" the film's new musical numbers. The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg agreed that "Evermore" is the film's "strongest" prospective Best Original Song nominee, while Paul Sheehan of Golderby agrees that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will favor "Evermore" over "How Does a Moment Last Forever" and "Days in the Sun". Meanwhile, MTV placed the song fourth on their ranking of "All 14 Songs from Disney's Live-action Beauty and the Beast"; author Crystal Bell claims that she would have ranked the ballad higher if Stevens' voice hadn't been manipulated to sound deeper. Bell went on to describe "Evermore" as "a B side off The Hunchback of Notre Dame", which is according to her "the highest compliment I can give a song." Dismissing the song as inferior to "If I Can't Love Her", ReelViews film critic James Berardinelli described "Evermore" as a "solid" but unmemorable song. However, Berardinelli agreed that Stevens possesses the "best voice" in the cast, wishing his character "had more opportunities to use it". Angie Han of Mashable admitted that the song "fares a little better" than "How Does a Moment Last Forever" and "Days in the Sun" but ultimately accused it of slowing the film down. In a mixed review, Maria Sciullo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette felt that the ballad "lacks the sheer power of 'If I Can’t Love Her'" in addition to finding it difficult to evaluate Stevens' performance due to his use of Auto-Tune. However, Sciullo acknowledged the song as a top contender for an Academy Award nomination. Similarly, Zimbio contributor Lani Conway dismissed the Stevens' "very deep voice" as "confusing as hell." IGN's Eric Goldman was less impressed with the track, reviewing "Evermore" as "uninspired and hard to recall after the fact." Criticizing the ballad for being unesscary and "excessively sentimental", Alexandra August of Comic Book Resources dismissed "Evermore" as "a meandering, mopey exploration of how he wants to be human again". The Rolla Daily News critic Dana Barbuto felt that the song is "less soaring than intended." Chart performance Josh Groban version Following the release of Ariana Grande and John Legend's pop rendition of "Beauty and the Beast", Leib asked the studio if it would be possible to release another one of Beauty and the Beast's original tracks ahead of the film's March 17, 2017 release date. After eliminating "Days in the Sun" and confirming that Canadian singer Celine Dion would not be available to promote her cover of "How Does a Moment Last Forever", the studio ultimately decided to release "Evermore". Menken and Condon had been discussing which contemporary recording artist would be capable of delivering a song as vocally "demanding" as "Evermore". After briefly considering Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Leib suggested American singer Josh Groban because, in his opinion, the singer's "voice is a natural fit for this showstopper of a composition.” Having already known Groban personally, Menken texted the singer who immediately confirmed his interest. Groban recorded the song shortly after the studio made final arrangements with his manager. On January 26, 2017, Disney announced that Groban had recorded a cover of "Evermore" – still entitled "For Evermore", at the time – and revealed that his version would be included on the remake's soundtrack in addition to being played during the film's end credits. Groban released a statement, saying: "I am honored to sing this beautiful new song by two of my absolute favorites, Alan Menken and Tim Rice. Beauty and the Beast has been with me since my childhood and to have a musical connection to this new film makes me so happy.” The announcement coincided with the studio's release of a new promotional poster for the film, which Disney allowed the singer to premiere using his official Twitter account. A 30-second sample of the track was uploaded to Soundcloud on February 14, 2017, which Groban also shared on Twitter. Groban's version was released as the second single from Beauty and the Beast's soundtrack on March 3, 2017, several days before the album, on which Stevens' original rendition appears, was released. Groban promoted the song with a performance on Good Morning America on March 14, 2017. The occasion marked both the song's first televised performance, as well as the first time an original song from the remake was performed live on television. Musically, the single, which lasts three minutes and nine seconds, remains a "Broadway-like" pop ballad with both adult contemporary and vocal music influences, that features the same lyrics, beginning "I was the one who had it all". Written in the key of A major at moderately slow tempo of 96 beats per minute, Groban's rendition evokes a "sweeping, operatic quality", featuring lyrics revolving about pining for true love. At the same time, the single resembles contemporary Disney ballads such as Sarah McLachlan’s "When She Loved Me" and Phil Collins’ "You’ll Be In My Heart" from the animated films Toy Story 2 and Tarzan, respectively. According to Golderby's Paul Sheehan, the track is Groban's "heartbreaking rendition of" a "plaintive plea for love." The song garnered positive reviews from critics that distinguished it from the mild controversies that had been surrounding the film at the time of its release. Devan Coggan of Entertainment Weekly described the song as a "gorgeous ballad", while Den of Geek praised Groban's interpretation as "immeasurable". According to Elle writer Alyssa Bailey, Groban's emotional performance will cause listeners to "feel the Beast's feels". Dubbing the track "one of the highlights of the album", the Daily Bruin's Matthew Fernandez reviewed the ballad as "a grand uplifting ballad centered on Groban’s rich voice". Category:2017 songs Category:Josh Groban songs Category:Disney songs Category:Songs with music by Alan Menken Category:Songs with lyrics by Tim Rice Category:Songs from Beauty and the Beast Category:Walt Disney Records singles Category:Reprise Records singles Category:Song recordings produced by Michael Kosarin Category:Song recordings produced by Alan Menken